In celebration of 20 years of
the Blue Cross RiverRink, the Delaware
River Waterfront Corporation has teamed up with great Philadelphia
partners, Four Corners Management, Klip Collective, Groundswell Design Group
and Art Star Gallery & Boutique to transform Penn’s Landing into Waterfront Winterfest. Running
through
January 5, 2014, Waterfront Winterfest features ice skating, a
holiday light show, retail market and food and drinks for all ages to enjoy. Along
with ever-changing daily entertainment, regional residents and visitors are
invited to experience Philadelphia’s newest holiday tradition, and to reimagine
how they celebrate the holidays.
More Information For Waterfront Winterfest
more information for the bLue cross riverrink
The Blue Cross RiverRink,
Philadelphia’s premiere outdoor ice skating rink is the center of
Waterfront Winterfest. The Olympic-sized rink offers public skating sessions, parties,
private functions, and season-long special events, as well as skate rentals and
sharpening. The rink complex features a heated facility, viewing areas, private
party rooms, video game room, and public restrooms.
Surrounding the rink is a winter garden and forest created by David Fierabend of Groundswell Design Group. Using locally sourced shipping containers covered with a huge warming tent, hundreds of holiday trees and shrubs, woodchips, rustic furniture, market lights and pallets, Fierabend creates an immersive holiday landscape that compliments the majestic views of the Delaware River and Ben Franklin Bridge.
The warming tent, surrounded by the winter garden, houses both The Lodge, which is the pop-up
restaurant, and the Art Star Holiday
Market. The Lodge, headed by award-winning Philadelphia Chef George Sabatino reimagines
winter classics with twists like homemade Thanksgiving leftover "Hot
Pockets," mashed potato fritters, roasted peanuts, signature fudge and
applewood-smoked turkey legs. Other local culinary stars like American Sardine
Bar Chef Scott Schroeder showcase their own reinvention of holiday food at
special dinners, mobile food carts, and grab-and-go areas. The Lodge also serves a curated
selection of local beers, and spiked hot drinks, like apple cider made from
local Three Springs Fruit Farm Cider.
The holiday experience would not be
complete without a place to buy gifts for family and friends. Art Star Gallery & Boutique
has set up the Art Star Holiday Market in the shipping containers, to create a
completely unique retail experience. Visitors can shop locally this holiday
season from rotating craft vendors and surprise pop-up stores.
Waterfront Winterfest is also home to the best holiday light
show in Philadelphia, featuring Klip
Collective’s patented projection-mapping technology under the direction
of Ricardo Rivera, a visual artist, filmmaker, and pioneer of video projection
mapping. Playing every evening on the hour from 5 – 11PM, this musically synced
light show features a festive mash-up of color, lights, hip hop beats, and
dancing elves projected onto the winter garden.
In addition to annual special
events like Skating with Santa, a blow-out Opening Day celebration, and of
course, the TWO SugarHouse Casino New
Year’s Eve Fireworks on the waterfront, the entire winter festival
space will have rotating entertainment curated by Jess Conda of Brat Productions. A complete events calendar
will be available online at www.waterfrontwinterfest.com.
With all of these elements, Waterfront Winterfest will become a new,
authentically-Philadelphia holiday tradition on the waterfront.
Season and Hours: Waterfront Winterfest will be open from November 29, 2013 – January 5, 2014, 7 days a week, 11AM – 1AM. Special hours on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. The Blue Cross RiverRink and the Lodge will be also open January 6 through March 2 with different operating hours post-Waterfront Winterfest.
Location: Waterfront Winterfest at Penn’s Landing, 101 S. Columbus Blvd, on Columbus Boulevard at Market Street.
Pricing: Admission to Waterfront Winterfest is FREE and open to the public. Skating Admission – $3, Skate Rental – $10
Online: www.waterfrontwinterfest.com and on Instagram at @PhillyWinterfest